Congress approval rating sinks to new historic lows

Americans’ confidence in Congress has reached a historic low, with just 10 percent of respondents in a new poll claiming a favorable opinion of the federal legislature. Congress now ranks as the most unpopular societal institution in the US.

Confidence in Congress has been on the decline ever since Gallup
started measuring it in 1973 – a year when 42 percent of
Americans claimed a favorable opinion. The latest Gallup poll
shows that only 10 percent of Americans have confidence in
Congress, which is down from 13 percent in 2012.

The number ranks “the legislative body last on a list of 16
societal institutions for the fourth straight year,” Gallup
writes. “This is the lowest level of confidence Gallup has
found, not only for Congress, but for any institution on
record.”

Survey results also show that low confidence is equally likely
among Democrats, Republicans and Independents. In previous years,
members of the party that represented the majority in both houses
of Congress were more likely to express confidence in the
legislature.

Now, even representatives themselves have expressed serious
disappointment with the legislature as a whole. Sen. Tom Coburn
(R-Okla.) told Bloomberg News that the latest poll results are
what Congress deserves, and that he won’t be seeking another term
in 2016.

“Why should it be that high?” he said of the Gallup
ranking. “Look, we’re incompetent. I think it’s full
appropriate.”

The poll results show that Americans have the greatest confidence
in the US military, with 76 percent of respondents expressing
favorable views toward the institution. Trust in the US police
force was also particularly high, with 57 percent of Americans
reporting their confidence in the country’s law
enforcement.

Television news and newspapers were on the lower end of the
spectrum, with only 23 percent of Americans expressing confidence
in the American media. But for the fourth year in a row, Congress
has come in last.

The latest figures about Americans’ lack of confidence in
Congress are in line with numerous other polls. In January, a
joint USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found
that 80 percent of Americans believe Congress is causing “serious
harm to the country”. A recent CBS News poll also found
that only 13 percent of Americans approve of the way Congress
handles its role.

Earlier this month, a Rasmussen Reports survey found that just 6
percent of US voters give Congress a positive job rating, while
64 percent voted its performance as “poor”. And a Public
Policy Polling report found that “Congress is less popular than
cockroaches, traffic jams, and even Nickelback.” The poll found
that only the Ebola virus, North Korea, and the Kardashians rank
lower than America’s legislature.

The most recent Gallup poll is based on a sample of 1,529 adults
who were interviewed June 1-4.